Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said that the government would need to study the reasons why local residents don’t appear to be as happy as one could expect them to be, bearing in mind that the city has enjoyed rapid economic development during the past decade.

According to the Macau Post Daily, Chui made the remarks when answering lawmaker-cum-civic leader Si Ka Lon’s question in a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle on Wednesday.

In his question, Si said that local residents’ happiness did not appear to have increased proportionally in line with the city’s economic development in the past decade.

Si asked Chui whether the government planned to share the fruits of the city’s economic development with residents in a way that would be directly linked to Macau’s gross gaming revenues.

In response, Chui said that he agreed with Si’s view that the happiness of Macau people has possibly not reached the level that one should expect following the city’s rapid economic development in the past 10 years or so.

Chui said it would be worthwhile for the government’s Policy Research Centre (GEP) to study what residents feel unhappy about.

Chui noted that Macau started its rapid economic development in 2003, adding that the government will need to carry out a review as to why local residents’happiness does not appear to have increased correspondingly.

Chui also said the government was striving to diversify the city’s economy, such as by participating in regional economic cooperation, adding that he did not believe, however, that the percentage of non-gaming business activities in the economy will rise significantly in a short period of time.

Customarily, the chief executive attends three Q&A sessions in the legislature every year. Wednesday’s session was his second this year and last before next month’s direct and indirect legislative elections.